Apparatus for removing the pile from carpets



March 2, 1954 w ARTHUR 2,670,520

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE FILE FROM CARPETS Filed April 18, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet l March 2, 1954 E. w. ARTHUR 2,670,520 APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE FILE FROM CARPETS Filed April 18, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 1954 E. w. ARTHUR ,670,520

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE FILE FROM CARPETS Filed April 18, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 fiaezzz'iv' Igorday March 2, 1954 E. w. ARTHUR APPARATUS FOR R" ZMOVING THE FILE FROM CARPETS Filed April 18, 1949 Patented Mar. 2, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR- REMOVING THE PILE FROM CARPETS Leonard E. W. Arthur, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia Before uniting two pieces of carpet together, as in the formation of a floor carpet, the pile of each meeting edge is first removed or stripped from the carpet base. Each stripped edge is then turned and secured beneath the base before the edges are stitched together. When preparing a floor carpet the pile sometimes requires to be removed from other places and in other than a straight line.

The object of this invention is to remove the pile from the edge of a length or piece of carpet, or from any other position desired, by machine preparatory to uniting the material so treated to a similarly treated length or piece, or for any other purpose, and to this end the invention aims at providing an apparatus adapted to automatically and entirely remove the pile from a predetermined area of the material as it is traversed by a pile removing device. The invention also has for its object a pile removing apparatus which will not require skilled labour to operate it, is rapid in action, is not liable to become deranged and is safe from misuse or accident.

According to the invention a power driven hand piece is adapted to pluck or pull the pile from the carpet base as the said hand piece is moved over the area to be stripped and provision is made to eifectively drive and control the actuation of the device and to protect the operative under all conditions of use. In the following description of an embodiment of the invention which experimental trial has proven to be very efficient a complete apparatus is outlined which is portable, easily controlled, safe for the operator and rapid in use.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a complete apparatus according to the invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1. The door of a lower compartment has been shown open for convenience of illustration and a hand piece has been removed or omitted.

Figure 3 is a plan of the apparatus seen in Figure 1. The cover of the cabinet of the apparatus has been removed and a hand piece has been omitted for convenience of illustration.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of parts of a fan.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of parts of fa friction drive.

gear adjustment.

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail view of a locking lever and appurtenances used to retain a clutch in a disengaged position.

Figure 9 is an end detail view of a bracket carried by the locking lever seen in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a plan of a clutch which is associated with the locking lever.

Figure 11 is a view of a fuse box.

Figure 12 is a side elevation of a hand piece.

Figure 13 is an enlarged end view of the hand piece showing lever claws in the position at which they grasp a tuft of the pile to be removed from the carpet.

Figure 14 is an enlarged end view of the hand piece showing the claws in the position they occupy after grasping and during the withdrawal of a tuft of the pile of the carpet.

Figure 15 is an enlarged side elevation of the hand piece.

Figure 16 is a view of the several parts of the hand piece dissociated or separated.

The invention includes a wheeled portable cabinet or casing divided into an upper compartment 2 and a lower compartment 3. The upper compartment 2 is adapted to contain the driving and power control mechanism by which a tuft removing device is operated and the lower compartment 3 is adapted to receive the tufts plucked from the carpet base. The upper compartment 2 is provided with an appropriate cover 4 and the lower compartment 3 is provided with an outwardly hinging door 5. Carried by the cabinet is a hand rail 6 by which it is moved when desired. The lower compartment 3 also is equipped with an air vent 1. Within or adjoining the upper compartment and resting upon appropriate rubber blocks or like mountings to minimize vibration is an electric motor 8 adapted to receive its power current through a fuse box 9 of any known or suitable construction by means of a plug-in flexible lead I0. In circuit with the power supply and the motor 8 is a pilot light I I mounted upon the front of the cabinet behind an appropriate window [2 therein. A control switch l3 of ordinary or suitable character also is mounted upon the front of the cabinet so that when the current is switched on the pilot light ll provides a visible warning to the operator.

Coupled to and driven by the motor 8 and located within the upper compartment 2 is a main shaft l4 having mounted thereon a first belt pulley 15 adapted to drive, by means of an appropriate belt [6 and second pulley H, a fan I 8 mounted in a casing 19 within the upper compartment 2 of the cabinet. The fan casing 19 communicates with the lower or tuft compartment 3 of the cabinet and with one end of a suction hose 2:; the other end of which is connected to a hand piece hereinafter described.

Slidingly mounted upon the main shaft id is a leather faced or equivalent friction wheel 2!. Mounted parallel with the main shaft id is a threaded shaft 22 having thereon a nut 23. Carried by the nut 23 is a bracket 2 associated with the friction wheel 2! so that when the threaded shaft 22 is rotated the nut 23 will move therealong and carry with it the friction wheel 2i along the main shaft 54. Associated with the threaded shaft 22, by bevel gear 25 or the like, is a speed adjustment shaft 26. The shaft 2% is mounted in the upper compartment 2 and is provided externally of the front of the cabinet with a speed adjusting hand wheel 21.

Engaged and driven bythe friction wheel 2! is a friction driving disc 23 controlled by a helibal spring 23 encircling a clutch shaft having mounted thereon a sleeve 3i provided with aninclined face 32 corresponding with the inclined face 33 of a bearing 34 in which the shaft 3 !3 is mounted. Integral with the sleeve 3i is an arm 33 connected by a linl; 35 with the arm 35 of a hand shaft d'i mounted in the upper cornpartment 2 of the cabinet and having a hand lever 38 disposed externally of the front of the cabinet. By turning the lever 33 and partially rotating the shaft 31 the sleeve 35 is turned upon the shaft 38? causing the inclined face 32 to move across or over the inclined face 33. The camlike action of the sleeve 34 causes the shaft 39 m slide longitudinally in its bearings thereby withdrawing the disc 23 from engagement with the friction wheel 2! and disengaging the drive of a hand piece hereinafter described. The sleeve 3| does not rotate with the shaft so and the arm 36 may be slidingly mounted upon the shaft 3"! so that it may synchronize with the sliding movement of the sleeve 3i and the shaft 3%. Gr the shaft 3'? may be slidingly mounted in its bearings. The speed of the sha t 3% may be varied by means of the hand wheel 2'! and can-sequential adjustment of the wheel 2! in relat-ion to the disc 2%.

The clutch shaft 38 projects externally of the front of the cabinet. Mounted upon the pro -j'ecting portion of the shaft is a hand wheel 39. Coupled with the projecting end of the shaft is one end of a suitable flexible shaft it wholly or partially enclosed in a tubular casing or hose ii. The other end of the flexible shaft [it is connected to a hand piece hereinafter described.

The arrangement of the hand wheel as and flexible drive is such that normally the clutch shaft '3 is driven and the hand piece hereinafter described is operated oy the friction drive or disc 28 from the motor '8 but by dissociating the disc 28 from its driving wheel 2!, by operation of the clutch sleeve 3!, the flexible shaft db and therefore the hand piece may be manually operated by the hand Wheel 39 and not by power. This is necessary under some limited circunistances.

Mounted within the upper compartment 2 of the cabinet and extending diagonally across the meeting inclined faces 32, 33 of the sleeve 3! and bearing 34 is a lever 32 pivoted at one end as at 43 and retained under pressure upon the sleeve 3] by an appropriate spring i l located at the other end of the said lever 42. Mounted within the upper compartment 2 of the cabinet is a hand shaft 45 having an arm or the like 4'6 asso- 4 ciated with a lug 4'! having a slot 48 by which the arm 13 is pivotally connected. The lug 47 is carried by the lever 42. The shaft 45 extends beyond the front of the cabinet and is provided externally thereof with a hand lever 49. The clutch shaft 38 rotates within the sleeve 3| and is mounted to slide outwardly in relation to the cabinet so that should the-operator of the hand piece hereinafter described deliberately pull upon or jerk the flexible shaft iii; the shaft 30 and the disc 28 will move outwardly against the influence of the spring '29, thereby disengaging the disc from the wheel 2! of the main shaft Hi. When the flexible shaft id is jerked or pulled outwardly from the cabinet the sleeve 3% moves with it and the diagonal faces 32, 33 separate or open apart. The lever 42 at once falls down into the space between the faces and is held down by its spring 4:2. Operation of the hand piece hereinafter described at once ceases and cannot re-comnie'nce until the disengaging hand lever 49 is operated to partially rotate the shaft 45 and lift the diagonal lever 22 from engagement with the face 32 of the sleeve 31 and from engagement with the face 33 of the bearing 3 The spring 29 then asserts itself and slides the shaft 39 back to its initial position and thereby reengages the friction disc 23 with the driving wheel 2i of the main shaft it. The faces 32, 33 are now re-engaged and the lever '42 again is seated upon the sleeve 3i and bearing 34 above the meeting line of the said faces. The fieiiible shaft at is now driven and power driving of the hand piece again takes place.

Upon consideration of the foregoing description it will become at once apparent that the controls located externally of the cabinet may be arranged as a control panel upon the front of the upper compartment 2. They provide for starting the motor 8 by the switch 13; for engaging and disengaging the friction drive 21, 28 by manual lever 38 and sleeve 3i and sliding shaft 30; for controlling the speed of the hand piece by means of the hand wheel 2'], shaft 26, threaded shaft 22, nut 23 and sliding wheel 2|; for disengaging the friction drive 21, 28 by jerking the hand piece hereinafter described and by means of the lever 32; for re-engaging the drive by operating the hand lever 49 and disengaging the lever 42 from its active position; for manually operating the hand piece by means of the hand wheel 39; and for a pilot light IE to warn the operator of the presence of current. The control of the drive of the hand piece by jerking it provides a safeguard to the operatoragainst accident. Should the clothing or the fingers be inadvertently caught in the pile removing device of the hand piece hereinafter described the operator need not reach for the cabinet control panel to shut off the power or to disengage the friction drive, a reasonable jerk on the flexible shaft 49 will at once operate the shaft 38 and remove the friction disc 28 from contact with the wheel 21. The apparatus at once ceases to operate although the motor 8 and the main shaft i4 continue to run.

The hand piece comprisesa suitable housing 58 having a conduit or tube 5| connected with the flexible suction hose 20 of the fan casing {9. It also is provided with a conduitor tube 52 to which the casing or hose 4! of the flexible shaft 36 is connected and through which the flexible shaft passes. The housing 50 is a b'o'xlil'ze structure having a tuft delivery opening 52a in its rear wall 53 and having appropriate "slideways 5 '54. Mounted upon the end of the flexible shaft 40 within the housing 50 is a disc 55 having a crank pin 56. Mounted in the slideways 54 within the housing 50 is a driving plate 51 havin a lateral slotway 58 in which the crank pin 56 is accommodated. Carried by the driving plate 5'! is a jaw operating pin 59. Adjoining or contacting the driving plate 51 is a bed plate 60 having a cut-away or tuft delivery opening 6! corresponding with the opening 52. Formed in the bed plate 69 is a vertical slotway 62 through which the jaw operating pin 59 passes. Pivoted to the jaw operating pin 59 on the outer side of the bed plate 60 are the upper ends of two diagonal links 63 the lower ends of which are pivoted to the upper ends of two intermediately pivoted levers 55 crossed diagonally. At their intersection the levers 54 are pivoted to a fulcrum pin 65 carried by an operating plate 66 adapted to bear against the outer side of the bed plate 60. The bed plate 59 has mounted thereon by means of tension springs 61 two side bars 63 between which the plate 66 is located. The springs 61 are secured at their ends to the plate 60 and to the side bars 68. The pressure exerted by them when a closing plate hereinafter described is applied retains the several entities in working contact. Depending from each of the intermediately pivoted levers 64 is a jaw or claw 69. One of the claws is slightly recessed as at E9 to receive the end or lip H of the other one when they are closed. Closing the housing is a closing plate it retained by studs, screws or the like it. Carried by the closing plate i2 is a guide finger M depending below the housing. Carried by the bottom of the housing is a depending guiding fin or rib 15.

In operation the jaws or claws 69 of the intermediately pivoted levers 64 depend through an opening in the bottom of the housing to grasp the pile of the carpet between the finger M and rib 15.

Obviously, when the crank disc 55 is rotated by the flexible shaft 40 and the crank pin 56 moves laterally in the slotway 58 of the driving plate 51 the latter reciprocates between the slideways 54. As the driving plate moves it carries with it the jaw operating pin 59 and operates the links 63 and levers 54. The pin 59 moves in the slotway 62 and the operating plate 66 slides over the bed plate 60. With their jaws 59 open the levers move towards the carpet so that upon their return movement the jaws will close upon the pile to be removed and grip it firmly. As the crank pin 55 continues in its rotation a reciprocating movement obviously takes place and the levers 64 and jaws 69 will open and close with a toggle-like action thereby removing the pile of the carpet as the hand piece is moved by the operator over it. When the jaws 69 open apart the tuft of the pile which has been removed falls from between them and is removed through openings 52a, 6| into the suction hose 29 by which it is delivered to the compartment 3 under the suction of the fan iii. The tufts of the pile gathered in the compartment 3 may be removed from time to time through the front thereof by opening the door 5.

The term carpet herein is to be understood as including floor mats and rugs and articles generally of the carpet type.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for removing the pile from carpets, consisting of a hand piece having means for removing the pile by plucking or pulling it '6 from the carpet base, means for varying the speed of the pulling means, means for driving the pulling means, and means for controlling the driving means.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein means are provided for driving the pulling means by power and means are provided for driving the said pulling means by hand.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the power means for driving the pulling means may be dissociated therefrom by jerking or pulling on the hand piece.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the power driving means of the pulling means may be dissociated therefrom and when dissociated is so retained until re-associated by hand.

5. An improved apparatus for removing the pile from carpets, consisting of means adapted to be moved over the carpet to remove the pile therefrom, a variable speed mechanism associated with the pile removing means, means for dissociating the pile removing means from said mechanism, a hand actuated device for operating the pile removing means when the latter is dissociated from said mechanism, and suction means for removing the pile material when separated from the carpet base.

5. In apparatus for removing the pile from carpets, a pile removing means comprising a hand piece having a housing, a pair of reciprocatory jaws located within the housing and adapted to open and close during their reciprocatory movement, a flexible shaft adapted to operate the jaws, and a suction tube associated with the housing and adapted to receive the pile as it is removed from the carpet base by the jaws.

7. In apparatus for removing the pile from carpets, a hand piece comprising a housing, a crank disc mounted within the housing, a flexible shaft adapted to operate the crank disc and adapted to be driven, a driving plate reciprocated by the crank disc, a pair of links pivotally connected to the driving plate, a pair of intermediately pivoted levers connected to the links, and a jaw carried by each lever.

8. An improved apparatus for removing the pile from carpets, consisting of a portable cabinet having two compartments, means flexibly connected to the cabinet and including a hand piece having means adapted to be moved over the carpet to pluck or pull the pile therefrom, means located in one compartment of the cabinet and adapted to drive the pile removing means at variable speeds, means located in the same compartment of the cabinet and operative to dissociate the pile removing means from its driving means, and suction means associated with the pile removing means and adapted to deliver the pile plucked or pulled by the pile removing means into the other compartment of the cabinet.

9. An improved apparatus for removing the pile from carpets, consisting of a cabinet having a plurality of compartments, a motor mounted in one of the compartments, a variable speed mechanism driven by the motor, a sliding shaft mounted in the same compartment as the mechanism, a

-fiexible shaft coupled to the slidingly mounted shaft, said sliding shaft being driven by the speed mechanism, means for dissociating the sliding shaft from its drive, hand operated means actuated externally of the cabinet for varying the speed mechanism, a fan operated by the motor and communicating with another compartment of the cabinet, a flexible suction tube associated with the fan, a hand piece connected with the ae'zasao flexible shaft and with the suction tube, and means arried by the hand piece pl c n r pullin tufts of the carp t mile. f om he carpet base as the hand piece is drawn overthe carpet. 10. An improved apparatus r r m g the pile from carpets, consisting of a portable cabinet having an upper and a lower compartment, a motor mounted in the upper compartment, a power shaft driven by the mptor, av friction wheel slidingly mounted upon the power shaft, a friction disc driven by the wheel, a slidingly mounted shaft rotated by the disc, a hand; Wheel mounted upon the sliding shaft externally of the cabinet, a flexible shaft connected to the slidingly mounted shaft, a hand lever located externally of the cabinet and adapted to move the sliding shaft to dissociate the disc from: the friction wheel, a spring controlled and hand operable device adapted to retain the friction wheel and disc separated when dissociated, a pilot light mounted in the cabinet and observable externally thereof when the motor is running, a fan mounted in the upper compartment and communicating with the lower compartment of the cabinet, a flexible tube associated'with the fan, a hand iece connected with the flexible shaft and tube and comprising a hOllSing, a; crank pin mounted in the housing and operated by the flexible shaft, a driving plate reciprocatcd by the crank pin, a

bed plate. associated with the driving plate, a

pair of links pivotally connected to the driving plate, an operating plate associated with the bed plate, a pair of crossed levers pivotaily connected to the links and intermediately pivoted to the operating plate, a jaw; carried by each lever, and a guide finger and a rib, carried by the housing at each side respectiyel-y of the, line of movement of the jaws.

11. Apparatus for removing the pile from carpets, consisting, of a portable cabinet, having a tuft receiving, compartment, a suction device mounted. in the cabinet and discharging into the compartment, a variable speed mechanism mounted in the cabinet, a flexible shaft driven by the speed mocha-nism, handoperated means for stopping the: drive of the shaft by the. speed mechanism, means, for disconnecting the flexible shaft from; the speed mechanism by jerking the said shaft, means for driving the flexible shaft by hand, when, dissociated from the speed mechanism and independently thereof, a hand piece having a plucking mechanism driven by the flexible shaft, and; a suction hose passing from the, hand; piece, to the tuft receiving compartment of the cabinet.

12 Apparatus for removing, the pile from carpets, consisting of a portable cabinet having a driving and control compartment and a tuft receiving compartment, a variable speed mechanism mounted in the driving and control compartment, a flexible shaft driven by the mechanism, hand operated means for dissociating the speed mechanism from the flexible shaft, means for dissociating the flexible shaft from the speed mechanism by jerking the said shaft, hand operated means for restoring the active association of the speed mechanism and flexible shaft after dissociation by jerking the shaft, a suction fan mounted in the driving and control compartment and discharging into the tuft receiving compartment, 2. hand piece having a tuft pulling mechanism driven by the flexible shaft, and a suction hose passing from the hand piece to the tuft receiving compartment.

13. Portable apparatus for removing the pile from carpets, comprising ahand piece having means for mechanically removing the. pile by continuously plucking tufts thereof from the carpet base as the said handpiece is moved over the area under treatment, driving means for actuating said. plucking means, suction means connected with the hand piece to remove the tufts of pile from-the operative position of the plucking means on the carpet when the said pile has been displaced from the base thereof, and a receptacle connected. with said suction means for receiving and collecting said tufts of pile.

1%. in apparatus for removing the pile from carpets, a hand piece comprising a housing, a

-' pair of pivotally mounted reciprocatoryjaws lo-- cated within the housing and adapted to. be opened approaching the carpet and to be closed and remain closed on the pile thereof when receding from the said carpet, a flexible shaft adapted to. operate the jaws, and. a flexible suction tube adapted to receive the pile as it is removed from the carpet base by the jaws.

LEONARD. E. W. A THUR.

References Cited inrthe file or this. patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,960,615 Mead Aug. 15, 1911 1,998,610 Owens Nov. 14, 1911 1,008,611 Owens Nov. 14, 1911 1,229,415 Connan June 12, 19%? 1,643,559 Hicks Sept. 27, 1927 1,724,102 Najarian Aug. 13, 1929 2,113,112 Kitzmiller Apr. 5, 1938 

